


New Order Tiny House

by bellestar



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Angst, Bad Reality TV Tropes, Because trashy reality TV can be inspiring, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Mutual Pining, Reylo - Freeform, Sort of inspired by Big Brother reality TV, The Author is Writing Reylo AU and can't believe it, that escalated quickly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22607398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellestar/pseuds/bellestar
Summary: Compete for $500,000 by living in the New Order Tiny House!  How long can you survive without access to the outside world?  Can you handle your every move being watched by millions as you navigate living in the New Order Tiny House? Be the last one standing and you could win $500,000!Rey thinks she can handle the challenge until she meets Ben who is not going to make it easy for her in more ways than one.Completed!
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 147
Kudos: 249
Collections: Ijustfellintothissendhelp





	1. Move In Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hello!
> 
> I've never written Reylo AU but when Sophia_Ravencrest came at me with this wonderful, delicious idea of Ben and Rey competing against one another on a reality TV series by living in a tiny house, I couldn't let it go. So here we are. 
> 
> If you're familiar with the reality television series _Big Brother_ , you'll discover I've pulled major elements from that show. It's my favorite trashy, summertime escape. Besides, who wouldn't want to watch Ben and Rey 24/7? 
> 
> Many thanks to the wonderful Sophia_Ravencrest for not just the inspiration, but also for the beta and the encouragement!

It was in the fine details, but she was so hurried to sign the paperwork that she failed to notice how this would work.

When Rose forwarded her the casting call from New Order Network that they were seeking contestants for a new reality show to compete for half a million dollars, Rey quickly skimmed the qualifications. She couldn’t contain her excitement when she realized she could have a shot to compete on the show.

_“Compete for $500,000 by living in the New Order Tiny House! How long can you survive without access to the outside world? Can you handle your every move being watched by millions as you navigate living in the New Order Tiny House? Be the last one standing and you could win $500,000!”_

For a recent college graduate with a looming student loan bill, Rey thought she would do anything if it meant that she could wipe out her financial debts. Rose put that thinking to the test with her audition video when she encouraged Rey to wear only a sports bra under the denim bib overalls and to put on more makeup than she was used to wearing.

“You’ve gotta show them that you’re not gonna be boring to watch on the feeds!” Rose told her. “Show some skin, show that you’re fun and that people will tune in to see how you’re coping.”

“It can’t be that bad, though,” Rey sighed. “I mean, it’s just living in a tiny house and seeing how long you can be cut off from the world. Why does it matter how I look or act?”

“You want to win money to take care of those student loans, right?” Rose adjusted the straps to show more of Rey’s cleavage in the bra. Rey swatted her away.

“I don’t think this means I have to be naked!”

Rose shrugged her shoulders. “Strange shit happens in the New Order Tiny House. They have that tagline, ‘Expect the Unexpected’ for a reason.”

Rey didn’t know what Rose meant by that, but soon after she submitted the application, she got the call from one of the producers that she had been selected. She was expected to pack a single bag of clothing and necessities and to come to their studio lot in a matter of days.

“I told you that showing a little more skin would work!” Rose said when Rey told her the news. “Oh my god, my best friend is going to be a reality TV star!”

\--

When the day arrived, Rey couldn’t help but feel nervous as she walked into the studio lot that was home to the New Order Tiny House, and it lived up to its name. Situated squarely in the center of a makeshift yard, Rey’s eyes took in the place that she would call ‘home.’ It looked like a log cabin

“It’s just right at 400 square feet of space,” a producer told her.

“This house doesn’t seem so tiny, does it?” Rey asked. She thought to her own hole-in-the-wall apartment and compared to that, this tiny house looked like a getaway.

“Well, it does feel crowded after a while. Plus, we have to be able to have the cameras and equipment in place to be able to watch and record everything that happens. That’s all off to a separate room that is locked downstairs right when you walk in. There’s 15 cameras and microphones throughout the house so we don’t miss a minute.” The producer was typing away on a pad as Rey watched crew members work about the set with lights and cameras.

“You’ll have a small room just off to the living room called the Diary Room. We’ll call you in there from time to time and do interviews that we’ll need for the weekly update episodes.” Rey couldn’t help but give the producer a quizzical look. She knew that cameras and microphones would be on 24/7 but she hadn’t expected to record diary room sessions. Who wanted to hear her thoughts? And about what?

“But it’ll have everything you will need. The kitchen and bathroom are downstairs, along with a small living area. The upstairs loft is the bedroom. For competitions, you’ll be able to go outside.”

“Competitions?” Rey asked.

“Yeah, you’ll be able to compete for different luxury prizes like more hot water for the shower, or to be able to have some things to read. Otherwise the only thing you have to keep yourself entertained is the person that you’re trying to drive out of the house.”

Rey turned to the producer as her duffle bag slipped to the floor with a thud. It felt like her heart had dropped with it with this piece of news. “There’s another person who is going to be living here? With me? In the house?”

This made the producer look up from her pad, her face showing clear annoyance. “Yes, you and your competitor. Didn’t you read the paperwork? In order to be the last person standing and win the prize money, you have to have someone to compete against. Both of you will go against each other in various competitions to win luxury prizes that are meant to help you both further along in the game.”

Rey took a deep breath. Okay, so there was going to be someone else living with her in this tiny house while over a dozen cameras watched their every move. They were also trying to win the half a million dollar prize. Rey could be competitive when she wanted something bad enough and the prize money was her ticket to financial freedom.

“Rey, have you watched our show before?” The producer asked.

“I haven’t, actually. I thought it was just a show to see how someone could live in a tiny house and be cut off from the outside world.”

“That’s part of it,” the producer said. “And no offense but you may be a hot looking girl, but it would be boring just to watch you sit around all day long.”

“Then who is my competitor?”

“You’ll meet them when we get ready to record the intro of the show. Speaking of, it’s time for you to go get ready. Go on now.”

\--

Rey could barely see in front of her with the bright lights above her and she wasn’t focused on what was being said between the host and the director of the show. She nervously stood on a small platform, her duffle bag balancing on her shoulder. She was wearing a short black dress that Rose insisted that she had to wear for her big television debut. Rey hoped she wasn’t appearing as uncomfortable as she felt.

It was unnerving to think she was about to move into this tiny house and be filmed 24/7. She had turned in her cell phone and agreed to live completely cut off from the outside world until after the game was over. No television, no internet, nothing until after she had claimed the half million dollar prize.

Rey knew she could live without those comforts for as long as it took to declare her the winner; she just had to outlast her competition. How hard could that be, really? This was a half a million dollar opportunity to take her life in a different direction.

“So, Rey, are you ready to go into the New Order Tiny House?” The host of the show pulled her from her thoughts and the applause of the live studio audience roared in her ears. Rey managed to put on a smile.

“Sure, let’s go win!” she said with conviction. The host chuckled to himself.

“Now Rey, we have a phrase around here at the New Order Tiny House. I bet our studio audience knows what that is!”

“Expect the unexpected!” The audience shouted in response.

“That’s right! You never know what will happen, but the only way to find out is to go on into the New Order Tiny House! As soon as you walk in, the door will close and we will be able to watch your every move. You won’t be able to leave unless you’re giving up or you’re the winner of the New Order Tiny House! Let the game begin!”

Rey gave a tiny wave to the camera and the audience before walking up the steps to the house. When she reached for the handle, she took a deep breath and told herself that ‘expect the unexpected’ phrase was just a marketing tagline to get viewers to tune in. It was just like Rose said: there had to be something fun happening in the house or else it would be boring and no one would watch.

It didn’t take long before Rey realized just what exactly that tagline meant.

Rey expected her competitor to be someone like her. What she didn’t expect was a very tall man with long black hair and piercing eyes. He was handsome, but the smile on his face told her everything she needed to know about her competition. He came to win and judging by his stare, Rey could feel him sizing her up as she placed her bag down in the floor.

Expect the unexpected, indeed.

The door locked behind her with a click and cameras whirled around to capture her response. She knew she couldn’t hide what she was feeling but that had to be the whole point of this show.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._


	2. First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben. Rey. Complete strangers. And there is only one bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful response! I appreciate your time in reading. You may notice that I've switched from past to present tense, and it's my intention to do so for the rest of the story. Hopefully it's not too jarring for everyone.
> 
> Special thanks to Sophia_Ravencrest for being my partner in crime in betaing!

Rey can faintly hear the studio audience cheering outside the door. She can feel the cameras and microphones pointed in her direction. All of that fades away as she focuses her attention on him.

If this was happening in the real world, Rey imagines that Rose would lean into her ear to coo about how fun it could be taking someone like him home. But this isn’t the real world, this is a reality television show and the man in front of her is competition.

Heartbreakingly handsome competition.

“Hi there, I’m Rey,” she says, finding her voice, and moves to reach her hand out to shake his. A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, but he doesn’t meet her handshake. 

“I’m Ben.” When her arm falls dumbly to her side, he chuckles.

“I would say it’s nice to meet you, but this is a game after all.” Rey feels a shiver rush down her spine at the sound of his deep voice. 

“Yes, I suppose it is,” she answers and breaks his gaze to take in the rest of their ‘home.’

The producer was right about the space feeling a little crowded, especially for two complete strangers. Rey notes the door marked ‘Production Only’ and assumes that is where the recording and sound equipment are housed. Stepping further into the living room, she sees the kitchen with modern appliances that make what she has in her apartment look ancient, The house is sparsely decorated but cream and gray colors and accents give it a modern, simple, feeling. The dining table for two catches her eye. 

“It’s not a bad place,” Ben says as she walks toward the glass back door and peers out to see the backyard. For the house to be on a studio lot, the backyard is large with lush green grass. Take away the cameras, the microphones and the man who can’t seem to keep his eyes off of her, and it would be easy to forget that this a reality television show production.

“This is a palace compared to my apartment,” Rey mumbles as she looks up into the loft to see the bedroom with a queen size bed. She turns to see where he’s supposed to be sleeping. All she finds is another door to the bathroom and another door marked ‘Diary Room’ that is currently locked when she tries the handle.

“What are you looking for?” he asks.

“Is there another bed upstairs?”

Ben slowly shakes his head and his smirk returns. “No, just the one.”

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _

“You’re kidding.”

“They do say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” He turns on his heel to walk into the kitchen. Rey takes a moment to study him as he pulls out a bottle of champagne from the fridge and two flutes from a cabinet.

She notices how large his hands are as he holds the bottle and begins to work on the cork. He wears a simple black sweater and jeans, certainly more casual than the black dress that Rey is wearing. If the producers were judging him as a contestant just on his appearance, they hit the jackpot. Rey can almost hear Rose now. _“Girl, you better take him to bed with you!”_ Rey feels her heart flutter at the thought. 

The pop from the bottle startles her from her thoughts.

“Why did you get to come in here before me?” Rey asks as he begins to pour them each a glass.

“I came in couple of hours ago. It’s part of how the show works. Someone always gets to go in first just before the second contestant. They do it for the dramatic reveal that you’re going to be sharing this,” he motions between them, “with another houseguest.”

Rey pretends to busy herself by smoothing out her dress when Ben hands her a glass. She catches him smirking at her again.

“What?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Nothing. I can just tell that this is going to be the easiest way to take home $500,000.” Whatever dreamy thoughts she is having about Ben are quickly dashed.

“You think this is going to be easy?” She glares.

“I do.” Ben says as he invades her personal space with another step. Rey tips her head up to take in his darkened gaze.

“I can take whatever I want, and I’m here to take home the prize.”

“Is that so?” She clutches the glass stem between her fingers, fighting the urge to throw the bubbly drink in his face. “I’m not going to make this easy for you. I’m not giving you anything.”

“We’ll see.” Ben leans his glass toward hers. “Cheers to keeping eyes on the prize.” 

As their glasses clink, Rey notices that Ben never takes his eyes from her as they both sip from their glasses. Rey pulls back from him to sit on the couch. 

“What happens now?” Rey asks as Ben walks back toward the kitchen. She hears the soft whirl of the overhead cameras as they change positions, reminding her that they are not alone. A sudden feeling of uneasiness rises at the thought of being watched by millions of strangers, and she tries to drown it with another sip from her glass.

“Along with this gift of champagne, we have been left a note.” Ben joins her on the couch and passes the note. 

_ Ben and Rey, _

_ Congratulations on moving into the New Order Tiny House! Please celebrate your first evening in the house with this bottle of champagne. We hope your first night is comfortable as you get ready to begin to play for the half  million dollar prize. _

_ As the game begins, we want to remind you that everything you do and say is being recorded and streamed online 24/7 to our millions of viewers. Don’t do anything that would embarrass your  parents, and mind your manners!  _

_ From time to time, you will be called into the Diary Room where you can share your thoughts and strategy on how you are playing the game and more important, how you are playing against each other. Your fellow houseguest will not be able to hear or see what you say in these sessions. You can enter the Diary Room at any time to get anything off your chest as the game progresses. _

_ Your first luxury competition will be tomorrow morning. You both will compete for the chance to access reading materials of your choosing that will help pass the time when you’re not busy trying to get your fellow houseguest to self-evict from the house. _

_ Enjoy your first night getting to know each other! _

Reading the note reminds her that this really should be easy, but as she watches Ben take another sip from his glass, Rey forces away the feelings of intrigue that she has for him. He is her competitor, and he’s already shown her that he can be a bit of an ass.

“So, Rey, let’s get to know each other.” 

“What do you want to know?”

“I want to know how to beat you at this game.” His tone is lighter now, and she wonders if it’s because of the bubbles from their drinks or part of his strategy.

“That’s not how this is going to work,” she resists smiling at him as she takes another drink. “As I’ve said, my name is Rey. I recently graduated from Coruscant University.”

“What do you hope to do for work after I beat you at this game?” Rey realizes that this is part of Ben’s strategy. He’s trying to provoke her.

“After I win the half dollar million prize, I still plan to hopefully work as an editor for a publishing company. I’m keeping my options open.” She keeps her tone even.

“Interesting. So, I guess I better watch out tomorrow as we compete for reading materials.”

“You should be watching out for me to win the whole thing,” she tells him. Before he has a chance to respond, a soft voice comes on above them.

“Ben, can you please come to the Diary Room?” Rey recognizes that voice to be the producer she was with earlier. Tipping his glass to finish his drink, Ben stands and walks through the door into the Diary Room without another word.

When the door shuts behind him, Rey decides to take advantage of her newfound alone time to get settled in.

**

“So, Ben, what are your first thoughts since moving in just a couple of hours ago?”

“Well, it is a tiny house, but that was advertised. But otherwise, it’s not bad. I guess we’ll see how I feel about it later on. I feel pretty confident that this is going to be a short stay.”

“What do you think about Rey? First impressions?”

He pauses, taking a moment to stare directly into the camera. The producer is asking questions from a small speaker so Ben is completely alone aside from the camera and microphone.

“I don’t think she is going to be much of a problem for me, especially if the competitions are more physical in nature. She seems to be naïve, which can work to my advantage.”

“Do you think she’s attractive? She looked pretty taken aback when she walked in and saw you.”

Ben narrows his eyes. “That…seems awfully forward to ask. And private.”

He hears the producer sigh. “You’re on a reality show where you’re being watched 24/7 and you’re bothered about being asked if you think the girl is hot or not?”

**

While Ben is in the Diary Room, Rey walks up the stairs to unpack her things into the closet. Ben has been given his own closet for his things and she silently thanks whichever producer made it possible for Rey to at least have one thing to be _hers_ and hers only.

Without thinking, she starts to remove her dress to change into something for bed when she hears the soft whirl of one of the cameras move overhead. Rey freezes, a sense of dread flooding her.

What was it that the note said? Don’t do anything that would embarrass your parents? 

She still decides to be modest and heads downstairs to the bathroom to change and to get ready for bed.

It’s when she’s brushing her teeth that she realizes there is a camera in the mirror and that’s when Rey really begins to feel creeped out by the idea of people tuning in to see what she and Ben are doing. At least the shower and toilet were away from the sight of the cameras but it’s unnerving to think that someone right now is watching Rey brush her teeth before going to bed.

_ They’re going to be disappointed because nothing is going to happen except for me beating him at this game. _

Ben is still in the Diary Room when she finishes up in the bathroom. She heads up to the loft and crawls into the bed. It’s much bigger than hers at home, the pillows are soft, and the sheets are a higher thread count than she is used to sleeping on. Rey was right when she thought this tiny house  would be  better than what she  was  used to.

She’s drifted to sleep when she feels a weight shift on the bed. All the lights are off except for a bedside lamp that casts a shadow of her new bedmate. Rey sits up to find Ben on the corner of the bed pulling off his boots.

“What are you doing?”

He looks at her over his shoulder. “I’m getting ready for bed. I didn’t realize how long I was in there talking to the camera for my first diary room session.”

“Are you planning to sleep here?”

He doesn’t answer her as he pulls off his shirt. When he turns to face her, it takes every ounce of willpower to not drop her mouth open at his bare chest. Her eyes quickly take him in. Ben is more than heartbreakingly handsome, he is a fucking piece of art.

Rey suddenly feels self-conscious and pulls the sheet tighter to her chest.

“Where else would I sleep?” he asks.

“There is a couch downstairs,” she offers.

“Then why don’t you go curl up on the couch?”

“I was here first.”

“Technically, I was here first. _Sweetheart. ”_

To most, it would be a cutesy pet name. For Rey, it’s anything but.

“Don’t call me that,” she fires at him. “You don’t get to call me that.”

“Okay, well, I was here first. _Rey_.” Ben walks over to his closet to pull out what she hopes are his sleep clothes and to head downstairs. Instead, Ben neatly puts his things away and slips out of his jeans to only his boxers. Her breath catches at the sight of him and _damnit_ , she knows that he heard that.

“Ben, you do know there is a camera on you? That they are watching you right now?” Rey says as she looks away from him. She hears him chuckle as he walks toward the bed.

“I’m more than aware, and I have nothing to hide.” Ben looks up at one of the cameras that he knows is pointed directly at the bed and winks before going to the empty side of the bed.

Rey scoots closer to her edge of the bed when Ben climbs in and he makes himself comfortable. The bed is large enough for the two of them, but the closeness is still too much for Rey. Her competition, the man standing between her and a half million dollar prize, is in bed with her and wearing only his boxers. 

This was a hell of a problem, for multiple reasons.

She hasn’t realized that Ben has turned to his side to face her. He wears an amused expression. “You know, we should both get some sleep before our first competition.” 

His casual attitude about the situation is maddening.

Rey nods and tries to settle into bed, quickly turning her back to him so she doesn’t have to see his naked chest.

Or see how his dark hair falls across his forehead. 

Or see his broad shoulders and toned arms.

If this is part of his strategy, then Ben is already off to a great start distracting her with more than just his pretty eyes.

“Good night, Rey,” he tells her almost too sweetly. That’s it. He’s doing this on purpose.

“Good night, Ben,” she says softly, squeezing her eyes shut. She hopes it won’t be long before sleep claims her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to leave any and all feedback.


	3. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey compete in their first competition. Plus there's other shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has left kudos and comments! I'm glad you're enjoying this little ride so far. 
> 
> Special love and thanks to Sophia_Ravencrest for being my beta and my cheerleader. She's the best and the reason this story is coming to life.

When Rey wakes, everything feels unfamiliar. It’s not just the bed she sleeps in or how the sunlight filters through the blinds to create shadows against the wall. Sometime during the night, her bedmate had wrapped his arm around her waist to trap her back against his naked chest.

No, not bedmate. Her competition. Her competition for this ridiculous reality television show on which Rey is beginning to regret ever applying to be a contestant.

Rey feels Ben’s warm breath on the nape of her neck as he sleeps soundly. Under different circumstances, Rey would revel waking up and being held this way. She has had her share of fleeting relationships with guys on campus, but she’s never actually woken up the next morning to any of them holding her as Ben is now.

The sound of the swiveling cameras overhead remind her that this is not a private moment.

_It’s unfair._

Ben stirs slightly behind her and Rey holds back a gasp when his hand moves under the hem of her top and his fingers make contact with her skin. It feels like a surge of electricity coursing through her. If there weren’t at least two cameras pointed directly at them and they weren’t both competing for a half million dollar prize, Rey would---

He shifts and mumbles something into her neck. His hand moves further up her stomach, his fingers just at the edge of her breasts. Rey holds her breath as he moves against her and it’s unmistakable what she feels against her ass. 

_It’s so fucking unfair._

Very carefully, Rey tries to untangle herself from Ben. She can’t be in this bed right now. Not with cameras and microphones pointed at them. Not with potentially millions of people watching online. She’s almost managed to lift Ben’s arm from her waist when he starts to wake.

When Rey turns to face him, he greets her with a sleepy smile. Her heart flutters and she has to hold herself back from leaning in closer to his mouth.

_Goddammit, this is all so unfair._

“Good morning,” he yawns as he stretches beside her. Ben is so infuriatingly composed about sharing a bed with a perfect stranger he snuggles with in his sleep. While cameras and people on the Internet watch. She doesn’t understand how he can stand it.

“Um, good morning,” she clears her throat and runs a hand through her hair. “Did you sleep well?”

“Surprisingly well. I hope I didn’t do anything in my sleep to bother you.”

“Uh, nope. No, everything’s great,” she lies as he gets out of bed. When he grabs some clothes from the closet and heads down the stairs, Rey pulls the comforter over her head and buries her face in the pillow to muffle her scream.

**

It’s the aroma of breakfast cooking that wakes her again. As she pulls the comforter away and sits up in bed, Rey peers over the loft railing to see Ben downstairs cooking breakfast, as if this day is just like any other day.

Except there’s fucking cameras swiveling to record everything, and she’s really beginning to despise them. Rey wonders for a moment just how many people are starting their morning routines by turning on the feeds to watch them start day two in the New Order Tiny House.

_If people want to watch me eat breakfast for entertainment, more power to them._

Rey makes her way down the stairs as she slips on her robe. As she approaches the kitchen, she notices that his hair looks damp from a shower and he’s wearing a white shirt and jeans. It really isn’t fair that the person who is also competing for the prize money is also one of the most handsome men she’s ever met.

But he’s not worth losing $500,000. She knows she has to get to a grip and rein in her feelings, or else coming onto this ridiculous reality TV show is going to leave her foolish and broke.

“Something smells good,” she says softly. Ben turns from the stove and Rey almost drops to her knees when he gives her a toothy smile. His smile is going to be the death of her.

“I hope you’re a fan of omelets.” 

“I didn’t know you could cook.”

He laughs as he prepares her plate. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Rey. But yes, I can cook some things.” He motions for her to sit at the dining table.

Rey takes a seat at the table as Ben walks over with her plate. “Ben, thank you.”

“Yeah, don’t mention it.” 

He places a cup of coffee in front of her as he joins her. It feels like the easiest thing in the world and for a moment, Rey forgets about the cameras, about the people who are turning in to watch just two people having breakfast.

“I don’t remember the last time anyone has made me breakfast,” Rey admits as she takes a bite of her omelet. “Mmm, maybe never, actually. This is delicious.”

“No one has made you breakfast before?” 

“Well, unless I count the bowls of cereal that my friend Rose has made for me after a night out.” Rey sips from her cup of coffee. “I imagine you must make breakfast pretty frequently for your girlfriend.”

“Unless you count my mother as a girlfriend. But I don’t do it often even for her.”

Rey looks up into Ben’s face, observing a certain softness that she didn’t see from the night before. 

“No girlfriend?” she asks and hopes she sounds like she’s just making conversation.

Ben takes a bite of his omelet and narrows his eyes at her. “No, no girlfriend. Why do you ask?”

That surprises her to hear there is no girlfriend in the picture. Ben could certainly have any woman he wants.

“I don’t think you told me much about yourself last night. All I know about you is that you can make breakfast and you certainly don’t seem to mind the situation that we are in.”

“There’s not much to share. I’ll turn 31 this year. I work in finance. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who works in finance is a millionaire which is why I applied to participate in this…. situation,” he says and leans back into the chair as he sips his coffee. “I knew coming into this there would be cameras and that people would be watching. I think after some time that you’ll even forget they are there. We just have to be ourselves.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Rey says simply. “It’s just a little weird to think about.”

“It’s about to get weirder.” Ben directs her attention to a note on the table. “We’re going to have our first competition this morning. We’re advised to wear clothes we don’t mind getting wet.”

Rey almost chokes on her coffee. “Wait, what? What does that mean?”

Ben shakes his head. “I guess we’ll find out. I figure the least I could do before I beat you later was to make you some breakfast.”

“Ha ha,” Rey says sarcastically. “We’ll see about that.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and get ready? I’ll clean up the kitchen,” he offers. If they weren’t competing for a half million dollars and this wasn’t being recorded for a reality TV show, Rey thinks she could work up enough nerve to show him how she much appreciates his thoughtfulness.

But then she remembers they are competing, and this could all be part of his strategy. Rey decides she’s going to have to develop a strategy of her own if she’s going to win. The shower will be the perfect place to think to herself.

Except when it doesn’t. As Rey steps into the shower, she’s met with ice cold water and she shrieks loudly.

“Hey Rey? You okay in there?” She hears Ben call out and she definitely detects humor in his tone.

“Ben! Did you use up the hot water?” She yells.

“Well, I did have to use hot water to wash our breakfast dishes.” 

_That bastard._

Rey groans in frustration. “I can’t believe you!”

“What? I had a nice hot shower this morning.” He laughs and she can tell he’s stepped away from the bathroom door.

Oh, she’s definitely going to have to get him back for this.

**

“Rey, how are you feeling about your first morning in the New Order Tiny House?” 

“I’m feeling rather chilly and pissed off, if I’m honest,” Rey grits her teeth. She’s been called into her first Diary Room session right after she has finished her very cold shower and has dressed for their first competition. 

“Do you think Ben did that purpose?” the producer asks.

“Yes, of course he did! He did it to piss me off!” She can hardly contain her annoyance with Ben. One moment they are having a quiet breakfast that he’s cooked for them and the next he’s purposely working to make her as uncomfortable as possible. 

“Why do you think he did that?”

“Probably because he’s trying to upset me so I can’t focus on whatever it is that we’re doing later for this competition or whatever it is! But I have news for him, I’m not going to be easy to beat.” 

**

Later in the morning, Ben and Rey walk into the backyard to discover it has been transformed for their first luxury competition. Long sections of rope with small foot paddles dangle from a carousel structure. Large padding has been placed directly under the carousel and a wall made from similar padding material stands upright as a backdrop. 

“Hello houseguests,” a voice comes on through the speakers in the backyard. “You are about to begin your first luxury competition! Please, grab a rope.” 

As Ben and Rey step up and grab onto their ropes, they slowly lift off, dangling several feet off the ground. The foot paddles are small and make it difficult to rest both feet comfortably.

“This game is pretty simple. All you have to do is hold on tight and whoever lasts the longest without dropping will win the opportunity to access reading materials that we are sure will make your stay in the New Order Tiny House a little more enjoyable.”

Rey thinks being able to read something would be a nice way to be able to escape Ben. But she’s more focused on just defeating Ben. Period. She tightens her grip on her rope and makes sure she has solid footing under her.

“Ben and Rey, are you ready?”

“Sure,” Ben calls out. 

Rey only nods her head, closing her eyes to focus the rope begins to sway. After a moment, she realizes the rope is not only swaying but the entire carousel is moving them slowly in a circle.

They both stand and clutch their ropes quietly as the carousel turns them. When Rey opens her eyes, she sees Ben resting his forehead against the rope in concentration and he’s shuffling his feet slightly on the foot paddle. He has changed out of the shirt and jeans for a tank top and shorts. She thinks she can see his arms shake from gripping the rope.

“You don’t look too comfortable,” Rey breaks the silence. Ben opens his eyes then and that damn smirk from last night has returned.

“I’m doing just fine, Rey.”

“You could just let go and we could be done with this, you know.” 

“It sounds like you may be the one who isn’t comfortable.”

“I could hang out here all day. It’s not a problem.”

They remain in silence as they gently sway on their ropes. The carousel shifts and they’re both swinging closer to the wall with each pass. As Rey’s rope passes by the wall, the momentum of the swing causes her body to bump into it. When Ben comes around to the wall, his body hits it with a loud thump.

“What the hell is this?” Ben shouts at no one in particular and before Rey can answer, her rope slams into the padded wall, causing her to spin uncontrollably. She has to grip the rope tighter and close her eyes so she doesn’t get dizzy from the sensation. The carousel continues to turn them in a slow circle but as they approach the wall, their ropes swing so their bodies plow into it. The slamming against the padded wall is meant to throw them off balance.

“I think this is being done on purpose,” Rey says as she hears Ben’s body smack against the wall.

“You fucking think so?” He’s seething and his tone takes her off guard. When she opens her eyes, she sees that Ben is struggling to hold on to the rope. His arms are trembling more as his grip tightens on the rope.

_Good, it won’t be long before he drops and I win._

She feels cold drops of water fall on her head as her body crashes against the wall and sends her spinning. Rey soon realizes that the water isn’t from a passing rainstorm from Mother Nature but instead is part of the New Order Tiny House’s idea of reality television. The rain machine above them activates and soon both Ben and Rey are soaked. She’s beginning to regret wearing only a sports bra and shorts, an outfit that Rose insisted she pack to wear. Goosebumps cover her skin and her teeth chatter from the unrelenting bite of the water.

Ben isn’t looking much better. Drops of water trickle down his hair, forcing him to shake his head to move it from his eyes. The thin material of the tank top clings to his skin and leaves little to the imagination. 

Between the water and the jarring encounters with the wall, it’s making it more difficult to hang on. Rey’s arms begin to burn and ache in protest. She tries to shift to find a more comfortable stance but every slam against the padded wall and feeling cold from the rain is making it very difficult for her to concentrate.

“Come on, Rey, let’s get this over with!” Ben yells as he braces and hits the wall with another loud thump. That time he groans loudly before he shifts his attention back to her. Rey squeezes her eye shut as she tries to block him, the rain and the wall out.

“I’m not dropping!” 

“Come on, Rey! You can’t stand being cold. I heard you this morning in the shower. You must hate being cold and wet right now. You’re still holding on! Let go!” His voice is gruff, and it sends a shiver down her spine.

“I wouldn’t have a cold shower this morning if it weren’t for you!” Rey opens her eyes now and begins to glare at Ben across from her. He’s physically struggling to hold on like she is. Her arms may feel like they are on fire, but she can’t let him win.

“Rey! Let go and we can end this!”

Another hard thump against the wall and she’s swinging wildly now. Rey finally lets out the scream she’s been holding in since this godforsaken competition started. Her hands begin to slip away from the rope. As Rey tries to regain her balance, her foot slips off from the pedal and she falls to the padding below.

Bells begin to ring, and she realizes it’s not in her head as the announcer declares Ben the winner of the luxury competition. He lets out a shout in celebration before dropping down and landing a few feet away from her. Rey wishes she could hit him for it, but her body feels like it’s been used as a punching bag and she’s mortified that she continues to be distracted by Ben. Tears spring to her eyes as she covers her face in her hands.

She hears Ben catching his breath beside her and steals a glance to see his chest heaving as he rubs down his arms. 

“Well, I know now why we had to sign all those physical liability forms,” he quips, and Rey feels the mat shift beneath them as Ben scoots himself closer to her. She continues to hide her face in her hands and draws her knees up to her chest. 

“Rey, are you okay?” His voice softens, and she can feel Ben hovering over her. When his hand touches her shoulder, Rey flinches back from him. She moves to sit up and glares at him. Hot tears stream down her cheeks and Rey hates herself for crying in front of him.

“Don’t. Don’t. Just leave me alone,” her voice breaks as she stomps back into the house and into the shower where she hopes to find warmth and the privacy to cry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave thoughts/comments.


	4. Day Two Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild Ben POV appears! Plus Rey is pretty pissed she lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments, kudos and love! I'm having a good time writing this and hope you will continue to enjoy and read on!
> 
> Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who makes me a better writer and is just a wonderful human being.

“I’d rather not do this now.”

“Rey, I’d like to talk to you about what happened today.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“That’s not true. You lost your first competition today. That appears to have rattled you.”

Rey is sitting in the Diary Room with her knees pulled into her chest. She stayed in the shower until the water cooled down and managed to change into dry clothes. Her body is sore from defeat and her eyes feel puffy from the tears she cried in the shower. Rey hates feeling beaten. She doesn’t know what hurts more: Ben being the one to best her or that random strangers got to watch it unfold from home.

She messes with the three buns she’s put into her hair in an attempt to not look directly into the Diary Room camera. The room itself is no bigger than a closet but it’s a way to escape the looming cameras that can be watched from online. Rey hasn’t seen Ben since she left him outside after the competition and she doesn’t care to see him for the rest of the day.

“Are you okay?” the producer asks through the speaker.

“I’m sore but I will make it. Are there pain killers here that I can take later?”

“We can arrange for that. Ben requested earlier that one of our doctors take a look at you to make sure you didn’t sustain any injuries.”

“Is that so?” Rey looks directly at the camera, her stare icy at the mention of his name. “Why would he do that? He should be gloating about his big victory.”

What the producer tells her next hits Rey like the wall she slammed into earlier.

“Ben seems to have compassion for you.”

**

When Rey walks out of the Diary Room some time later, she sees Ben seated at the dining table holding a pad that she assumes is the luxury competition prize. He’s changed back into the white shirt and jeans from earlier this morning. The flutter in her stomach returns as she takes him in.

The producer in the Diary Room spent the majority of Rey’s time attempting to convince her that this was more than just a game, especially to Ben. It was suggested that his hot and cold moments with her were a result of her own mixed feelings about him, and Rey hates how the producer reads her so easily. She hates how she’s allowed for her walls to crumble. She has to build them back, stronger than ever, or else she’s going to come away with nothing.

“Hey,” Ben’s voice breaks through her thoughts, and Rey sees that he’s put the pad down. Ben is staring at her intently.

“Hi,” she says quietly as she pulls a blanket from the couch and wraps it around her. Ben steps away from the table and carefully approaches her.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m sore. What about you?”

“Sore. I think as soon as I get out of here, I may need to consult a personal trainer. That shit was hard,” he chuckles. Rey drops her head down to her chest.

“I heard that you asked that a doctor take a look at me. I’m fine. I don’t need you to look out for me like that,” Rey mumbles. Her breath catches when she feels his fingers under her chin and he gently lifts her head to his.

“Rey, I know that we’re technically playing a game against each other, but I don’t want to see you getting hurt.” Her heart begins to thump loudly in her chest as she looks up into his eyes. There _is_ compassion there, just as the producer told her. But this can’t be. Not like this.

Rey takes a step back from Ben, guarding herself. It’s all too much. The past twenty-four hours have been a roller coaster. She’s trapped inside a house with a man who fills her with rage and unspeakable desire. All of this is unfolding with over a dozen cameras recording and countless strangers watching online. There’s a life changing amount of prize money up for grabs. 

Rey finds herself with her back against the wall as she clutches the blanket around her tighter.

“Ben, what are we doing?” she asks. “How...how are you able to just be okay with this?”

“Be okay with what?”

“This!” She motions between them. “This insane experiment that we’ve agreed to! Just days ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop where no one knew me or watched me or cared about what I was doing. Today, I literally clung to a rope and was body slammed against a wall while strangers watched from their homes. I can hear the cameras follow my every step in this house. It’s absurd. And for what? A chance to wipe out the student loan debt that I foolishly took out for my writing degree.”

Rey locks eyes with Ben who has taken another step toward her. She holds out her hand to keep him at arm’s length.

“And you,” her voice trembles. “Last night, you didn’t even want to shake my hand and this morning you make us breakfast like that’s just something you know you are supposed to do. You scream and taunt me during that competition and then want to act like you care. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, Ben, but I can’t do it.”

“Is this your way of telling me that you’re about to self-evict?” He places his hands on the wall by her head to lean in close, trapping her between him and the wall. Rey’s breath quickens and her heart is pounding so loudly that she’s sure that even the microphones above them can pick it up.

“No, I’m not self-evicting. But I’m not going to do this hot and cold thing with you. Starting tonight, I’m planning to sleep on the couch. I don’t need you to make me breakfast or anything else. I’ve come here to win a half million dollars and I’m not going to play your game and let you distract me.” She takes a breath, proud that she’s been able to face him and take back a little bit of the control she felt like she’s lost since stepping foot inside the house. 

Ben reels back from her like he’s been slapped. “Fine,” he says bitterly. “If you want to think that I am a monster, then I guess I am.” 

Rey watches as he steps back over to the table to grab the pad and walks past her without another word to head outside. She flinches when the door slams shut, and she’s left with several cameras zoomed in on her face.

**

The production crew had worked shockingly quickly to disassemble the first luxury competition game to put the backyard back to normal. A hammock has been added along with some other yard furniture. Ben falls into it with a loud sigh and grimaces when he lays back into the hammock, every part of his body aching from being tossed around like a rag doll. He and Rey had managed to play that ridiculous rope and wall competition for several hours and he’s going to be feeling the effects of it for days.

Night has fallen now, the day going by much quicker than Ben expected. When he first walked into the house, he dreaded how he would spend his time and how slowly it would creep by. But much how the producer told him before the show went live last night to ‘expect the unexpected,’ Ben has been proven wrong.

The house itself is smaller than what he lives in, but Ben has never needed much. Now that he’s won the reading pad, he can access the favorite books he listed on his application and he’s discovered that he can pick anything else from an online library. It’s peaceful and quiet for a studio lot, a stark contrast from Ben’s day-to-day life of working and climbing his way up the ladder of his uncle’s financial firm where he spends 14-hour days chasing after various accounts and punching numbers designed to help his clients get rich. 

Its why Ben applied to be on this reality show; he wants to be able to get out from under the thumb of his uncle and travel the world. Being cut off from the rat race of finance sounded like a vacation to him when he sent in his audition tape. 

“It’s not going to be a vacation, buddy,” his best friend, Poe, had said when Ben shared the news of being chosen to appear on New Order Tiny House. “You do know that show is about how fast the two houseguests can drive each other nuts.”

Ben had done some homework before applying for the show, but Poe had a point. The episodes Ben watched featured a male and female contestant usually screaming at each other by the end of the first week. That season, the guy had beaten the girl when she walked out of the house screaming that she didn’t want to see him ever again.

It only took Rey just over twenty-four hours before she screamed at Ben. He wondered if that was a new record for the show.

When he walked into the house, Ben had a strategy: be aloof but confident. He wanted to work quickly to discover whatever weakness that his competitor has and take advantage. He thought if the contestant was female that maybe flirting a little could turn her into putty in his hands. More importantly, he didn’t want to lose a single competition; he always wanted to have the upper hand.

All of that has been working to an extent. Ben just didn’t expect his competition to be Rey, and she was making this more complicated for him. When Rey walked through the door last night, wearing a tight black dress that hugged her slender frame and her brown hair had flowed down her back and shoulders, Ben knew that he was going to be in trouble. Her smile was warm, and he wanted to drown in her eyes when she reached out to greet him. Rey is simply beautiful. If this had been the real world, Ben wouldn’t hesitate to ask her on a date.

But they are competing on a reality TV show, so he decided to be an asshole to deflect instead. This was part of his strategy to win. She would wilt like a flower under his towering gaze and he could regain the upper hand.

Except that she challenged him. That wasn’t part of the plan. He complained about that in his first Diary Room session and after he had finished his rant, he could hear the producer laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he had asked.

“You don’t see she’s obviously attracted to you. Have you looked in the mirror? You’re a hot, single guy. She’s a hot, single girl. You said it yourself earlier that you plan to take advantage however you can to win the game, so do it!”

Ben felt torn at the comment. He knew that if he wanted to potentially drive her out of the house that flirting and invading her space could do it. He noticed how flustered she became when he crawled into bed last night. Yes, the producer was right; Rey is attracted to him. Ben gets that a lot, especially from the women that Poe tries to set him up.

The difference is that those women are not Rey. And Ben is very attracted to her, too. He knew he was taking a risk in the middle of the night when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her so close to him that all he could feel was her. She had sighed but remained sleeping when he did it. Ben had to talk himself out of doing more than just wrapping his arm around her. There is so much he wants to do her. The presence of cameras make things more complicated. Random strangers are watching at any time, but he isn’t sure that’s enough to completely stop him.

Now he knows he’s sleeping alone tonight. That bothers him more than it should. They are still complete strangers to one another and they both came on to this ridiculous reality show to win money. This isn’t like the dating reality shows that he overheard some of his colleagues talk about around the water cooler. New Order Tiny House is designed to be a social experiment to see how two people could behave around each other when cut off from the outside world.

Ben and Rey are willing participants in that experiment, but as Ben rocks gently in the hammock and keeps his eyes on the back door to the house, he can’t help but feel like they are both failing.

Sometime later, he notices the lights are off in the house. When he decides it’s time to go to bed, he quietly tiptoes in. Rey, true to her word, has curled up on the couch with her back turned toward the door. Ben holds himself back from reaching out to touch her. His strategy of being hot and cold is what has gotten him into this mess, and he’s got to figure out his next move.

“Good night, Rey,” he says quietly as he turns to go up the steps. He thinks that he heard her wish him a good night, but he doesn’t dare to turn around as he prepares to go to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a bit angsty. Sexy times next chapter should fix that.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please let me know any thoughts/feelings you may have.


	5. Night Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey insists she's going to sleep on the couch tonight. It doesn't quite happen that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who makes me a better writer and is just a wonderful human being.

The couch isn’t nearly as comfortable as the bed upstairs. Rey almost regrets her decision to be curled up here, but she knows after today that it’s better to be on the couch. Her constant tossing and turning would wake Ben anyway.

She stares up at the ceiling, her thoughts turning to her housemate upstairs. She heard him come in earlier and even after she yelled at him, he still wished her a good night. The hot and cold game he is playing is really driving her insane.

It doesn’t help that the producer who she talks to in the Diary Room is planting ideas in her head, like a nagging voice that won’t go away. Rey just wants to be left alone and let her thoughts be her own.

She imagines that he is in the bed upstairs and wearing nothing but underwear like last night. She remembers how she woke up this morning with his arm wrapped around her and how his hand managed to slip under her shirt. His fingers had left a trail of fire when they moved over her stomach and inched closer to her breasts. She imagines his hands cupping them, his fingers rolling over her nipples as they pebble.

The whirl of an overhead camera interrupts her thoughts and Rey groans loudly. It’s pointed directly at her and Rey wishes she could reach it to take it down or turn it away from her. These thoughts may be her own but she’s not able to act upon them without an audience, even in the middle of the night. 

She already asked in the Diary Room if the cameras recorded while they slept. The producer told her the night vision on the cameras is the best in the business. “We would hate to miss a single thing,” the producer told her.

“You have to be fucking kidding me,” she says softly as she stares directly at the camera. She wonders how much sound the microphones pick up or if the strangers watching her at home were able to hear that.

Moving to her side, Rey tries to not think about the heat that’s pooling between her legs, leaving a dull ache that begs to be relieved. She has to stop thinking about Ben. These thoughts could literally cost her a half million dollars. 

When she closes her eyes, Rey tells herself that Ben probably isn’t even thinking about her the way she’s thinking about him, so what’s the point? He’s doing everything he can to make sure he wins, and she can’t fall for his tricks.

Rey is almost asleep when she hears a moan from upstairs. She holds her breath when she hears Ben moan a little louder. 

_You really can’t miss a thing in this tiny house_ , she muses.

Wide awake, Rey wraps the blanket around herself and makes her way upstairs to investigate. When she reaches the top of the stairs, she sees Ben curled up on his side of the bed, his head moving about on the pillow. She’s almost certain that he’s dreaming, maybe having a nightmare. Carefully, Rey moves to the empty side of the bed.

She freezes when she hears him moan her name.

_Oh my God, what is happening?_

“Ben?” she whispers and places a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle shake. His eyes snap open and she pulls back from him like she’s touched a live wire.

“Rey?” his voice is thick with sleep as he moves to sit up. Rey forces her eyes away from him as the blanket pulls away to reveal his naked chest.

“Are you okay? I heard…you groaning and wanted to check to see if you were okay.”

“Umm…” his hands move over his face and into his hair. When she turns to look back at him, she’s surprised to see that he appears to be embarrassed. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry that I woke you up.”

“I was already awake, so it doesn’t matter,” she sighs.

“Are you having trouble sleeping?” he asks. “You don’t have to sleep on the couch if it’s not comfortable.”

“I already told you that I’m not doing this with you. I can’t sleep in the same bed as you! Not when we’re both competing against each other.”

“Can you just forget about the game for a moment?” his tone is rough, and it takes Rey by surprise. Ben shifts on the bed, making space for her to join him. “Rey, this is stupid.”

“Yes, I agree. This whole game is stupid.”

“That's not what I meant.” Ben motions to the space beside him. “Rey, join me.” His eyes catch hers, and Rey feels her heartbeat quicken.

“I can’t,” she says softly.

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t trust myself with you,” she admits. “You’re my competition. We’re competing for money, Ben. It’s life-changing money.”

“But what if we weren’t playing a game, Rey?” His voice has softened, but she notices something in his gaze. There is just enough moonlight pouring through the blinds to help her see that Ben isn’t thinking about the half million dollar game they’re playing.

“If there wasn’t money on the line---”

“But it’s not just about the money!” she interrupts. “You forget that we’re being watched! There’s people who are watching us!”

“I know that,” he says, but she hears a hunger in his voice. “Fuck the cameras, Rey. I don’t care about the cameras.”

“What?”

“I said fuck the cameras, Rey.” Ben has gotten out of bed and just as she imagined earlier, he’s wearing only his underwear. She backs up against the wall, the blanket she’s been clutching pools at her feet as he approaches her. He stalks her like she is his prey, and she’s dangerously close to getting caught.

“Fuck the cameras, fuck that there’s random strangers who are sitting at home and have nothing better to do with their lives than to watch us…” Ben leans in close to her, his breath on her face. She’s trapped once again as his hands rest against the wall by her head. 

“And fuck the game,” he whispers. “I just want you.” Before Rey has a chance to respond, his lips crash against hers and all the reasons for why they can’t be doing this are forgotten.

She finds herself wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer as he deepens the kiss. When she opens her mouth beneath his, she is intoxicated by the feeling of his tongue against hers and how his arms have wrapped around her back. 

A moan escapes her as he pulls back from her. He sends a chill down her spine when he puts his lips to her ear, his breath hot and his voice needy.

“I know there’s cameras, but we don’t have to give them a show. Just come to bed with me.” Rey finds herself nodding and she catches his lips twitch into a smile when he pulls back and drags her into bed. 

Wordlessly, they crawl under the sheets and comforter and Ben motions for her to lay on her back. He pulls the sheets up over their shoulders as he lays on his side, facing her. Rey hears the cameras lenses zooming in, a dark reminder that they have an audience. An audience that is privy to a moment that she wishes desperately could just be between them. Rational thought is thrown to the side as her breath catches when she feels Ben pull her against him so that his head lays by her ear. His hand under the sheet fans out against her stomach.

“They won’t be able to see or hear anything this way if you can be absolutely still and quiet. Close your eyes like you’re sleeping,” he whispers in her ear. Goosebumps form across her skin and the undeniable ache between her legs returns.

She should stop him. This is part of his strategy. This can’t be happening. 

_But oh, his hand…fuck._

Ben’s hand slips under the thin camisole she wears, and Rey takes a deep breath when his hand palms her breast. She bites down on her lower lip at the sensation of his fingers moving against her budding nipple.

“You have to look like you’re sleeping or else they’re going to know that I’m touching you,” his lips kiss the shell of her ear, and she feels certain that the microphones above the bed can’t hear his whispers. Rey wonders as his hand moves between her breasts if the motions are visible against the sheets and comforter. He shifts slightly beside her as his hand trails down her stomach and his fingers dip beneath the waistband of her shorts.

_This is a special type of torture._

She finds herself spreading her legs slightly to give him better access as his fingers move across her underwear. Ben moans approvingly in her ear when his fingers pull her underwear to the side. 

“You’re so wet. I can’t believe how wet you are for me.” He places a kiss against her earlobe and Rey squeezes her eyes tighter when his thumb grazes her clit and forces herself to not raise her hips to meet his hand. Ben is killing her, she decides. He’s slowly but surely killing her as he presses one, then two fingers inside her, his thumb remaining over her clit as he works the bundle of nerves there. She has to hold in the scream from the feel of his fingers.

Rey is biting her lip so hard that she thinks she could draw blood. Her hands grip at the mattress as she tries not to visibly react to how Ben’s hand is bringing her close to the edge. Her body tenses and she leans her head back against the pillow. She hopes that it looks like she’s simply stretching to those who are watching at home and not because the man who she is competing against for a half million dollar cash prize is bringing her close to orgasm with just his hand.

Her hand flies up to her mouth to stifle her whimper as a wave of pleasure floods her body. His hand remains at her center as her body trembles and she catches her breath. Rey finally opens her eyes to lock eyes with his, a small, knowing smile on his face. 

“That was worth losing a half million dollars,” he says simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We were kind of expecting that to happen, right? 
> 
> Thank you for reading. Please let me know any thoughts and feelings you may have!


	6. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets to know Ben a little better. Ahem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who makes me a better writer and is just a wonderful human being!

“Rey, can we talk about last night?”

“There isn’t anything to talk about.”

“Rey, please.”

“You already know what happened!” she snaps. “It’s pretty obvious. What do you want me to do, describe it in detail?”

The last place she wants to be right now is talking directly into a camera about last night’s events. Rey also would much rather being having this conversation with her bedmate upstairs.

_Or is he a housemate? Is he still competition? Who exactly is Ben now?_

“Rey, why don’t you talk us through what happened last night. Pretend that we didn’t see anything.” The producer’s voice is not unkind, and Rey knows they have a job to do by asking her these questions. When she had first walked into the Diary Room, the producer had explained that they were putting together the second episode and they needed more material.

“Fine,” Rey says as she wraps her arms around her knees. “Last night was certainly interesting. I wanted to sleep on the couch because I don’t know what kind of game that Ben is playing but I still ended up in the bedroom.”

“Why did you go upstairs?”

“I heard him moaning. I thought maybe he was in pain since you nearly killed us yesterday with that stupid rope game. When I woke him up, he did something that I wasn’t expecting. He kissed me.” She tries to hide the smile on her face as she leans her chin on the tops of her knees.

“Did you want Ben to kiss you?”

Rey pauses as she looks up directly into the camera. “I-I mean…he just…” she trails off. “This is crazy, right? We’re supposed to be playing for a serious amount of money. It’s money that would change my life forever.”

“Ben told you last night that he didn’t care about the game, that he only wanted you. Do you believe him? How did that make you feel?”

She feels like a schoolgirl with a crush when she buries her face in her hands. She’s desperately trying to hide the smile and hold back the giggle when she thinks about last night with Ben. He looked so hot and wild when he got out of bed and pinned her against the wall. She’s never been kissed like that before.

“It was….it was nice. Good. It was great. He’s a good kisser,” she says finally with a small smile. “Like…a really good kisser.” Rey adds with a laugh.

“When you went to bed, it seemed like he was whispering to you. Was anything else going on?”

“Nope,” she says with a smirk. “Nothing at all.”

She’s not going to talk about how Ben made her come with just his hand last night.

Or how she plans to return the favor.

**

When Ben wakes up and reaches for her, he’s disappointed to find that side of the bed is empty.

“Rey?” he calls out as he scrambles to get out of the bed. Looking down from the loft, he doesn’t see any sign of her. Ben grabs the long pajama pants and the solid gray shirt that he’d thrown to the floor the night before and starts down the stairs to look for her.

_What if she thought last night was a mistake? What if she self-evicted after all?_

When Ben had gone to bed last night, he didn’t think that he would wake up to Rey telling him that he was moaning in his sleep. He hadn’t planned to make a move or to ask her to come to bed with him after he kissed her. It just happened. Ben has wanted to touch her since she first walked through the door.

But he had meant what he said; Ben was tired of playing this game they found themselves in and he wanted her. What was that stupid tagline for this show? Expect the unexpected? Ben hadn’t expected someone like Rey when he agreed to come on to this show to win $500,000.

Maybe there was a way to do both. Ben was determined to try.

When she opens the door to the Diary Room, relief floods him. Ben stands sheepishly in the middle of the living area and begins to run his fingers through his hair in an attempt to smooth it down.

“Good morning,” she says softly. The way the sunshine pours through the windows of the tiny house casts a halo around her, and she’s breathtaking.

_Fuck, I got it bad._

“Hey, I thought maybe you decided to check out,” he teases. Rey walks up to him and lightly punches him on the arm.

“And make you a half million dollars richer? I don’t think so, Ben.” She’s smiling up at him and it’s taking everything in him to not pick her up and carry her up the stairs to bed. The whirling of cameras overhead reminds him why he doesn’t do just that.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks. “I mean, after I woke you up?”

“Hmmm mmm, I did. I found it to be…satisfying.” She gives him a cheeky grin as she walks by him to go up the stairs. Rey’s tone is light, flirty even. It’s not like when she yelled at him after she lost the luxury competition to him.

“I am going to grab a shower,” she tells him when she comes back down with a change of clothes. “The Diary Room told me that we’re free to do whatever we want today. They may bring out a game for us to play together so we don’t get bored.”

“Well, I’ve got my reading pad so…” Ben catches a mischievous gleam in Rey’s eyes.

“I guess I’ll just have to figure out what I can do to keep myself busy.” Rey walks up to him, standing up on her tiptoes to reach his ear.

“Join me in the shower in five minutes.” She whispers as she presses a kiss to his ear, the sensation sending a chill through his body. “We don’t have to give them a show,” she repeats his words to him from the night before. Ben groans at the loss of contact when she walks into the bathroom. He hears the shower turn on and thinks this may be the longest five minutes of his life.

**

Rey has just finished washing her hair when she hears the door to the bathroom open. Right on schedule, Ben carefully steps in and he begins to take off his shirt and pants. She bites down on her lower lip as she peers over the shower door to watch him undress. 

He walks up to the shower door in only his black boxers and looks over the edge of the door at Rey.

“So, why should I join you?” he teases.

“Because this is the only place in the entire house that doesn’t have cameras or microphones pointed directly at it.” She curls her finger in a ‘come here’ motion and that’s all it takes for Ben to tug the boxers from his hips and to step inside the shower.

The spray of the water hits Ben’s back, quickly drenching his hair and body as Rey drinks him in. He really is one of the most handsome men she’s ever met.

“So, Rey, what do you want me for? To wash your back?”

She shakes her head as she pulls him from under the shower head and pushes him against the wall of the shower. Her hands run over his bare chest and linger over his abs as she looks up at him. His gaze is heated like it was the night before.

“I thought that I would…” her hand dips further, taking his growing erection in her hand and strokes him slowly. She watches as his eyes close and his lips part as her thumb glides over his tip.

“That…that you would kill me?” he rasps with a moan.

Rey leans forward to press a kiss on his chest, tasting droplets of water there as she moves down to her knees. Gathering her courage, Rey sets out on her mission to make Ben feel as good as he made her feel last night.

Rey’s tongue drags along the edge of his tip at an agonizingly slow pace as Ben’s hands smack against the wall of the shower. She hums to herself when she takes him into her mouth, and she hears a choked gasp.

“Holy shit, Rey!” 

She pulls his cock from her mouth with a pop and looks up at him. 

“Remember what you said? Make it sound like you’re taking a shower, Ben, or they’re going to know I’m touching you.” She sounds devilish as she strokes the base of his cock and locks her eyes with his.

“I also said last night that I don’t give a fuck about the game, Rey,” he tells her breathlessly before she takes him back into her mouth.

Ben moans once more as she begins to properly suck, her cheeks hollowing. His fingers begin to tangle into her hair as she increases her pace and she hears a parade of “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” come from his mouth in strangled gasp. Rey can feel him fighting the urge to buck his hips into her mouth as she bobs her head faster.

“R-Rey…if you keep doing that, I’m going to come,” he pants, his grip on her hair tightening. He’s definitely close, and deep down Rey feels a great sense of accomplishment that she has been able to reduce Ben to a mumbling mess with her mouth. With a moan around his cock, Rey opens her eyes to look up at his face. Ben does look like he is close as he bites down on his lip.

“Ah, _fuck_! Rey!” He comes in her mouth and she greedily takes it as he falls apart around her. With a swallow, she pulls back and moves to stand up. Ben’s chest heaves as he tries to catch his breath and he opens his eyes to stare into hers. She’s taken aback when sees dark pools of desire in his eyes.

“You’re right,” she tells him with a smile.

“About what?” he gasps.

“That was worth losing a half million dollars.” She leans forward to plant a soft kiss on his lips before she reaches back behind them to turn the knob of the shower off. Ben stands in the shower completely astonished as she wraps a towel around her torso and steps out.

“W-Wait. Rey!”

She turns around and throws a towel at him. “Careful of the cameras, Ben.” She cocks her head toward the bathroom mirror before she steps out of view and begins to grab her clothes and towel off.

_A half million dollar prize be damned._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things escalate pretty quickly in a tiny house, don't they? Things are going to get messy in the next chapter.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please let me know any thoughts/feelings you have!


	7. Day Three Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things turn serious during a game of chess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read, commented and left kudos! I'm pretty blown away by the response, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy.
> 
> Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who really whips these chapters into better shape because I'm easily distracted. She's a kickass beta!

“This isn’t the type of game I thought they would be giving us to play.”

“It’s better than hanging on a rope and getting knocked around.”

“But it’s not fair.”

“Why not?”

“Because you know how to play, and I don’t.”

“I did suggest strip poker since we have a deck of cards.” Ben grins at her and Rey has to hide her face in her hands again.

They sit across from each other at the dining table, a chessboard between them. It’s mid-afternoon and the producers have given them a couple of games to keep themselves occupied. Rey wonders how exciting it is for people to be turning on the online feeds and seeing them play chess. 

It’s been uneventful since she left a speechless Ben following their tryst in the shower. Rey had caught a glimpse of him entering the Diary Room as she was making breakfast, but he hasn’t said a word about it since walking out with the chessboard and deck of cards.

“I have a feeling we would both lose at strip poker,” she tells him. She twirls a pawn piece between her fingers as she pretends to contemplate her next move. Ben had given her a quick rundown of how to play but if she’s completely honest, she’s not interested in playing chess. Her thoughts are elsewhere.

Ben’s hair falls in gentle waves around his face as he leans forward to study the game board. Rey fights back the urge to reach over and run her fingers through it. She wishes now she had taken more time to touch him when they were in the shower earlier.

“That depends on your definition of losing,” he quips as she finally moves the piece on the board. Lifting her head, Rey catches him as he winks at her. 

“Stop that,” she says with a laugh.

“Stop what?”

“Flirting with me.” She means it to be teasing but as soon as she says it, she notices how Ben’s smile quickly fades.

“Do you really want me to?”

_That’s a loaded question._

Rey hesitates to answer as she picks up another game piece. Suddenly this innocuous game of chess feels different. She had been so sure last night when she curled up on the couch to sleep that the last thing she needed was for her feelings toward Ben to cloud her judgement. Rey came into this house to win a half million dollars. Giving in to her lustful thoughts wasn’t part of the deal. Especially when there’s millions of strangers who can peep in at any time.

But Ben makes it so goddamn easy. She can almost hear Rose in the back of her mind cheering her on for saying _fuck it_ and giving in to her desires. 

Her eyes lock with his once more, his expression unreadable. Rey places her game piece back on the board, her pawn blocking a path to one of his pieces.

“Ben, why did you decide to come into this house?” she asks softly.

He leans back from the table. “Honestly? I came in to escape.”

“Escape from what?”

“Reality,” he gives a mirthless laugh as his pulls his hair away from his face. “I know how ironic that is. To come on to a reality show to escape from the reality of life.”

Her face falls when she hears sadness in his voice.

“I came in here to win the cash so I could travel,” he continues. “I work for my uncle’s finance firm. The job is mostly fine but lately I’ve been feeling like there is more to life than the day to day grind. I want to get out and travel. Just…” he makes a sweeping motion in the air with his hand, “just get on a plane and go.”

“Where would you go?” Rey asks.

“Anywhere,” he shrugs his shoulders. “With a half million bucks, I thought I could travel exclusively for a few years. I could pay off a bill or two, pack a bag and hop on the plane with no real destination in mind and just explore.”

“That sounds really nice,” Rey says thoughtfully as she processes this information. She can picture Ben waking up each day and picking a new place to visit.

“But you’re making that a difficult goal to achieve.” His words break through her thoughts. Ben leans forward, his fingers drumming nervously against the chessboard.

“Rey, look, we’re in a very usual situation here,” Ben says with a sigh. “I want you to know that this,” he motions between them, “is not at all what I expected when I walked in here a couple of days ago. I came in here thinking that it would be easy to win $500,000. I really did.”

Rey feels her heartbeat quicken in her chest, and dread washes over her. She watches his fingers drum faster against the game board as he struggles to find what he wants to say to her. She’s also afraid to find out.

“You didn’t mean it, did you?” she asks.

“Mean what?”

“That you didn’t give a damn about the game anymore.” Rey tries to keep her tone calm and even. “That you only wanted me. Or did you just say that?”

“No! No! I meant that, Rey. I do want you!” Ben’s legs bump against the table, causing pieces of the forgotten chess game to scatter as he leans in closer to her. “Jesus, Rey, what we did last night and this morning was amazing. I-I want to be with you.”

Rey wants to look away from Ben but she feels a magnetic pull as she looks into his face. She can see remorse in his eyes and she suddenly feels like a fool. She leans back into her chair, shaking her head as tears well into her eyes.

“Please don’t say bullshit like that,” she whispers, her voice trembling.

“It’s not bullshit, Rey. What is bullshit is that we are stuck in this fucking ridiculous situation. If we weren’t playing this game and I met you outside of here, I wouldn’t even hesitate to ask you out. To take you out on a proper date.” He’s moved from his seat at the table and kneels in front of her. She feels him take her hands into his.

Rey knows she should pull away from him. She should have pulled away from him last night when he kissed her and invited her to bed. She shouldn’t have pulled him into the shower with her this morning.

_How could I be so foolish?_

“But _it is_ the money though, right?” she asks. “It’s your ticket to traveling the world.”

Ben doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. She can see the conflict in his face, like he’s battling to make a decision.

“You know what’s funny?” Rey’s voice is filled with sarcasm. “Not only did you lead me to believe that you no longer cared about the money, but they convinced me of the same thing.”

“Who?”

“The producers in the Diary Room. They’ve been hounding me the last two days about how much you care about me, how this is more than just a game to you.” Rey pulls her hands from Ben’s and pushes him away so she can stand. She makes her way to the back door before she turns around to face him.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Rey,” Ben’s voice breaks when he says her name. Tears spill out and flow down her cheeks as she feels a sob in her throat.

“Too late for that,” she whispers brokenly before she pulls open the door and goes out in the backyard.

**

“I have really fucked up. God, I’m such a fuck up.”

“You’re that much closer to winning a half million dollar prize, Ben! She’s bound to self-evict. Maybe even before the next live show this week.”

Ben drapes his head over the back of the chair, his hands over his face as he groans loudly. “I feel like the biggest douchebag on the planet. This is not how I wanted this to go. At all. I’m not this guy.”

“Ben, you told us when you first moved in that you wanted to take advantage of your competition to win,” the producer’s voice comes over the speaker in the Diary Room.

“I didn’t want to take advantage of her!” he explodes at the camera as he sits up and looks directly into the lens. “Yes, I obviously want to win the money but not like this!”

“Did you really think you could get the girl and the prize at the same time?” the producer asks.

Ben doesn’t answer as he drops his head back into his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knowwwwww. The game is turning serious.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please let me know any thoughts/feelings you have!


	8. Day Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey compete in another luxury competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really blown away from the response to this little story! I'm glad for all the comments and kudos and hope you will continue to read and enjoy.
> 
> Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who is a kick-ass beta. She's also a pretty awesome friend.

It turns out that avoiding Ben in a tiny house is easier than she thought it would be. Rey spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the backyard sitting in the hammock. She only left the backyard when a producer’s voice came over the speaker to ask her to go back inside the house so they could begin setting up a competition.

Ben said nothing to her when she walked through the door. He was sitting on the couch, reading something on the pad he had won in the luxury competition. She hates that he has at least something to distract him. Rey only has her thoughts and they are driving her mad. Being trapped in this house with Ben is doing her no favors.

When she steps out of the bathroom before bed, Rey wavers by the stairs when she sees Ben lying on the couch. He’s made his bed there with a blanket and pillow, and her heart clenches when his eyes lock with hers. For a moment, she thinks she sees unshed tears deep within his brown eyes. Ben is an enigma, and while part of her wants to explore that, she knows that curiosity only leads to heartbreak.

Heartbreak won’t pay that first student loan payment.

She heads up the stairs to go to bed. Rey thinks she hears him call out her name, but she ignores him. After quite a bit of tossing and turning, she falls into a dreamless sleep.

**

She would be lying if she said she feels fine about waking up alone in bed this morning. Rey hates how much of a hold Ben has on her. She has to stop herself from thinking about him and about what they’ve done together away from the prying eyes of the cameras.

_Get ahold of yourself. This is not worth it. He may be handsome but he’s not going to take care of you when this is over and done with._

Rey tries not to look at him when she walks down the stairs and sees him sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee in his hands. It’s hard not to notice how his hair is disheveled from sleep or how it looks like he’s not gotten much rest. She resists the urge to reach out to him and instead reaches into a cabinet to grab a mug to pour herself coffee.

“We have another competition this morning,” his voice is rough and startles her, causing drops of hot coffee to land on her hand. Rey swears under her breath, bringing her hand to her mouth to sooth the scorched skin. When she turns, she finds Ben standing close to her with a look of concern on his face.

“You okay there?”

“Yes,” she hisses when she pulls her hand away from her mouth. “Yes, it’s fine,” she says as she examines her hand. It’s not the first time she’s burned herself with coffee, but the stinging sensation feels especially painful. Ben towers over her and she realizes that she’s trapped once again between him and the kitchen counter.

He has a way of trapping her. She’s got to be able to escape.

“You said we have another competition today?” Rey moves her way past him and walks to the living room. Ben stands in the kitchen with his arms stretched out to lean against the counter where she once stood.

“Yeah, the note says it’s a luxury competition.” He motions to the table and Rey grabs the note to read aloud.

_“Ben and Rey,_

_We’ve noticed how much you both enjoy taking a shower…”_

Rey stops reading and feels her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Ben lifts his head to look at her, giving her a nonchalant shrug. She takes a deep breath, trying to push down her feelings of regret as she continues to read.

_“But the shower won’t be so enjoyable for whoever loses this next luxury competition. You will each run through a maze and encounter two puzzles to solve that will help you reach the next section. Whoever can run the maze and solve the puzzles in the fastest time will enjoy taking hot showers during their stay in the New Order Tiny House.”_

“Wow, they really do want to make this place a living hell, don’t they?” Rey scoffs as she tosses the note back on the table. 

“That is the point of the show, to see which of us will leave first,” Ben replies.

Rey takes a long sip of coffee from her mug, feeling re-energized and not just from the caffeine. She has an opportunity to take back control.

**

The rest of the morning passes in silence as they ate the breakfast that they prepared for themselves. Ben opts to be the first to run the maze. Not having clocks in the house makes it difficult for her to tell how long it takes Ben to run the course outside. The producers have gone as far as blocking the view of the backyard.

It’s the perfect opportunity for her to sit upstairs in the bedroom and meditate. It’s the first time since coming into the house that she’s felt completely alone and able to focus. With her back against the wall, Rey pulls her legs under her and closes her eyes. 

Rey came into this house to play a game. She may not have had a strategy to win, but she can’t let Ben or the producers in the Diary Room influence her. There is a half million dollar prize on the line and she can’t continue to fall for Ben.

She hears an announcement that Ben has completed the maze, followed by the sound of the door opening downstairs. Rey stands up, adjusting the three buns she’s placed in her hair and smooths over the tank top and running shorts she’s put on. She catches her reflection in the mirror, feeling strong and confident for the first time.

Ben is drenched in sweat and drinks from a water bottle as she walks down the stairs. She notices how he takes her in, his mouth falling open as he catches his breath. She acknowledges him with a nod and goes to the back door.

“Rey.”

She looks over her shoulder at him. “Yes?”

Ben’s breath hitches and Rey tries to keep the amused smile from her face. He looks at her like he did yesterday morning when she left him in the shower.

“Good luck,” he murmurs finally as he turns away from her.

**

Rey hasn’t watched a lot of reality television shows, but she doesn’t know how many shows can literally transform small spaces like the backyard like this. The maze is massive. It takes up the entirety of the backyard.

She warms up as she waits to be told to begin. It’s a warm, sunny day outside and she can already feel beads of sweat down roll down her neck.

“Rey, are you ready to begin?” a voice comes on over the speaker. She looks around and sees nearly all of the cameras are pointed at her. It’s hard to imagine that there are people who want to watch something like this. Then again, she can’t believe she agreed to come on this show in the first place.

She can’t think about the random strangers who are watching from home. Rey has to win this.

“I’m ready!” she shouts and goes to stand at the starting line. When the bells signal for her to begin, Rey takes off running down the first row of the maze.

The maze’s walls are tall and made from shrubs. It all begins to blend together in seas of green as she dashes as quickly as she can down the path. She feels the stinging of leaves and twigs against her skin when she turns around the tight corners.

Rey comes up on the first puzzle. Pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle are scattered across a table. She quickly scans the eight puzzle pieces to see what image she is supposed to put together. It’s the logo for the New Order Tiny House.

_Easy enough._

The pieces come together seamlessly as she hastily connects them together. The logo stares back at her when she puts in the last piece and a bell rings to indicate that she’s completed the puzzle correctly. Rey lets out a shout in celebration and takes off once again down the maze.

The second puzzle is a word scramble that she’s has to decipher. The letters on the table are jumbled and the only clue she has is space for three words on the letter board. There’s a total of seven letters in the first word, three letters in the middle word and ten in the final word. As her fingers begin to spell out possible words, the answer hits her like a punch to the stomach.

_Expect the unexpected._

_Of fucking course it is._

She begins to throw the letters up on the board, silently praying that she has the correct answer. Rey wonders how much time has passed since she first entered the maze. She feels like she’s pretty far in the maze and she’s been solving these puzzles pretty quickly, too. As she throws up the letters ‘E’ and ‘D’ in ‘unexpected’, the bell rings again to tell her that she’s correct.

She realizes that the final leg of the maze is actually figuring out how to exit. Rey wastes no time running down a path that she hopes will lead her out. She comes to a brick wall and has to turn around to where she came from. There are a total of four different paths from which she can choose when she traces her steps back to the second puzzle.

Rey struggles to catch her breath as she studies her options. It feels eerily like the paths that she’s been presented in the game itself. 

One path could be her choosing to self-evict and to run as far as she can away from this torturous game. Another path could lead her straight in Ben’s arms, but she feels she could still come away empty when he ultimately chooses the money over her. 

The other two options are ones she thought about when she mediated earlier; there is the obvious choice to outlast Ben and come away the victor of the half million prize. The four path gives her pause. Could it be possible to walk away with both the money and Ben?

She realizes she’s wasting precious time. Rey barrels down a path, hoping it’s the right one. 

When she sees the end of the maze, she literally throws herself at a buzzer to clock in her time. She faintly hears the bells ring as she collapses to the ground in exhaustion.

**

“Ben and Rey, are you ready to learn who will have to take a cold shower for the rest of their stay in the New Order Tiny House?”

The two competitors are standing side by side in the backyard. Rey feels nervous as she rocks back and forth on her feet and balls her hands into fists as her side. She notices that Ben is trying not to look at her, but he’s biting down on his lower lips.

“Ben, you completed the maze in a total of 10 minutes and 34 seconds!” The announcer shouts excitedly. Rey swallows hard and closes her eyes. That seems like a fast time to her. This isn’t so much about trying to avoid cold showers, but Rey has to prove to that she’s capable of winning and taking back control.

“Rey, you completed the maze in a total of 10 minutes and 22 seconds! Congratulations!”

She has defeated him by _seconds._

Rey lets out cry in celebration as she jumps up in the air. “Yes!” she yells as she begins to do a celebration dance. Ben stands with his arms folded across his chest as he watches. She knows she has to look silly, but she doesn’t care right now.

“Sorry, Ben, but it looks like you are going to have to only take cold showers from now on,” the announcer tells him mournfully. Rey stops celebrating and takes a moment to stare at Ben as he shakes his head.

“I don’t care about taking a cold shower,” Ben responds. He catches her looking at him and he gives her a sad smile. “Nice job, Rey,” he says as he moves past her to walk back into the house. 

Rey watches him go inside and can’t help but feel that, despite beating him at this competition, she’s still losing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But Rey - you kicked Ben's ass! Sigh. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please leave any comments/thoughts you may have.


	9. Dinnertime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen over Italian. It's definitely not the wine talking.

Rey gives Ben time to shower before she walks back into the house following the luxury competition. She expects it won’t take him long since he can take only cold showers. 

She doesn’t expect to see him shirtless when she walks up the stairs to the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. Ben is dressed in jeans and has a black, long sleeve tee in his hands when he turns toward her. Rey notices that his skin and hair are still damp from the shower. Her eyes trail over his chest and abs and she bites her lower lip.

“You did a nice job out there today,” Ben’s deep voice pulls her from her thoughts and Rey tries to smile.

“Thanks. It was pretty close, though,” she offers.

“Yeah, 12 seconds is pretty close,” he replies as he pulls the tee over his head. When Ben walks up to Rey, she can smell the woodsy aroma of the body wash he uses. He lifts a hand and she thinks that he’s about to touch her check. She holds her breath when his hand moves to tuck some fallen strands of hair behind her ear and his finger moves over one of the buns she’s tied in her hair.

“Why three buns?” he asks softly.

Rey’s hands fly up to her hair as she tries to smooth out the frizziness. “Oh, um. I-I don’t know. It’s just something I’ve done since I was a little girl.”

Ben nods and lets his fingers gingerly trail from her hair and across her neck as his arm falls by his side. Rey shudders from the touch and she catches him smile before he heads back down the stairs.

“Enjoy your well-deserved hot shower,” he tells her, leaving Rey wondering if maybe a cold shower would be a better option instead. It’s amazing what he does to her with a simple touch.

_This man is going to be the death of me._

**

The hot shower did feel good, especially with her sore muscles from running the maze, but something was missing. Maybe because someone was missing.

_God, Rey, get a grip!_

Rey turns off the hairdryer and runs a comb through her hair as she stares at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t help but think about Ben when she was in the shower. It was difficult not to replay how he leaned against the wall with his fingers in her hair as she took him into her mouth. The sounds he made as she pleasured him made her feel powerful. Wanted.

_But Ben doesn’t really want me. Not really._

Rey lets out a sigh as she begins to smooth out the wrinkles in the A-line gray dress she’s put on. Rose encouraged her to pack and wear more revealing outfits – _“You’ve gotta show them that you’re not gonna be boring to watch on the feeds!”_ – but Rey thinks she’s exposed herself enough. Wearing the simple, but flattering, dress makes her feel more like herself. Her hair falls in gentle waves down her shoulders and back. Rey has never been one to wear makeup and she’s not going to worry about it now.

When she hears a camera lens zoom in the bathroom mirror, Rey rolls her eyes. She doesn’t think she will ever get used to the idea that random strangers just watched her dry and style her hair and rub lotion over her skin.

Rey hears the Diary Room door open and the sound of bags rattling against each other. Her heart moves into her throat as she stands frozen. 

_Is Ben leaving? Is he self-evicting?_

She hears his voice muffled through the door as it sounds like the Diary Room door is closing again. Rey reaches to pull open the bathroom door, afraid to discover what is happening.

She’s surprised to see Ben is setting the dining table.

“What’s going on?” she asks. Rey can suddenly smell food as he pulls out the containers from the bags.

“A sponsor of the show has sent us dinner,” Ben replies, and Rey can’t help but feel a sense of relief. “I hope you like Italian.”

“I do,” she says as she walks over to the table. “It smells delicious.”

“It’s from this place called Maz’s. I’ve been there a couple of times.” Ben then pulls out a bottle of wine from the bag, raising his eyebrows when he holds it up to Rey.

“Well, what’s pasta without wine?” she says, hoping to sound casual. Her heart nearly bursts when Ben smiles in return. 

**

Their dinner conversation is light as Ben and Rey take turns asking questions and sharing bits and pieces of themselves that can’t be discovered under bed sheets or in showers. Maybe it’s the delightful meal of chicken carbonara or the red wine that Ben makes sure is always in her glass, but Rey finally feels at ease for the first time since stepping foot into New Order Tiny House. Dinner with Ben has made her forget they’re competitors on a reality TV show.

She’s learned that Ben’s last name is Solo, which makes her giggle. He doesn’t have a close relationship with his parents but he’s working on it. He wishes he could have chosen a different career path and explains further why he wants to hop on a plane and never come back. Ben tells her about his audition tape and how his best friend, Poe, mocked him for a week when he told him about sending it in.

He explains that one of the reasons why he keeps his hair long is to hide his ears. She tells him that his ears are cute. Rey almost melts when he smiles at that, and she decides that his smile may be her favorite thing about his physical appearance.

She forgets the cameras are recording their intimate conversation when she begins to open up about herself. Rey doesn’t tell him the full details, but she shares stories from her foster care experience, and how bouncing from house to house still haunts her. When she sips from her wine glass, Rey notices how intently Ben listens as she describes what it meant to her to attend Coruscant University and to study literature and composition. Rey can’t wait to work for a publishing company and hopes to discover the next great novel that will fly off the bookshelves.

“I should have let you win the reading pad luxury competition,” he tells her.

“You won that fair and square.” Rey feels light and happy as she finishes her glass of wine. “I’m sorry you have to take cold showers.”

Ben shakes his head. “Maybe you’d be so kind to share the shower again.”

She arches an eyebrow at him. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” 

“I imagine you’d be able to keep me warm in a cold shower.” Rey sees his lips move into a grin as he reaches for his wine glass. She feels warm all over her body and it’s not just from the meal and bottle of wine they’ve shared tonight. Ben’s eyes are dark with want. Rey is almost certain she will drown in those eyes if she remains at the table.

“How about I clean up the kitchen?” She stands from her chair and begins to gather their plates. Rey tries not to look at Ben as she places the dishes into the sink and turns on the faucet to wash them. She knows if she takes a look at him then she’s not going to be able to stop herself from acting on the desires that keep getting her into trouble.

Ben is competing for a half million dollar prize. He’s made it clear that he wants to win the money and run.

She doesn’t realize that he’s behind her until his hands appear above hers in the soapy water. Ben presses himself against her back, his arms tightening around her waist. Rey closes her eyes when he places his hands on top of hers as she absently uses a scrub brush on a dish. His lips hover just over her right ear and his warm breath makes her shiver.

“Ben…” she sighs.

“Hmmm?” She feels the ghost of kiss against the shell of her ear and his nose nuzzling into her hair. Rey drops the plate into the sink. The last thing she is thinking about is washing the dishes.

“What are we doing?” she whispers.

“I think we’re supposed to be playing a game.” 

Rey gasps when she definitely feels a warm kiss behind her ear and his hold around her waist tightens. Ben is tall and broad compared to her tiny frame. She can’t help but feel like she just fits perfectly against him.

“I wish we weren’t.” The admission comes out easily and hangs between them. Rey drops her head back against his shoulder as he begins to slowly trail kisses behind her ear and down her neck. Ben Solo is going to ruin her. He’s going to ditch her and leave her with nothing.

“Then let’s not play the game.” Ben moves his head back up to whisper into her ear.

Rey hears the voice of the producer in the Diary Room in the back of her mind. _“Ben makes it so easy, doesn’t he?”_

_He does. He makes it so damn easy._

She shouldn’t do this. She’ll end up penniless and heartbroken.

Decision made, Rey turns around in Ben’s arms and pulls him in for a hungry kiss that she’s sure to regret later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a longer note than usual.
> 
> 1) Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who really is the reason these chapters come together. She's a wonderful beta and I'm pretty thankful to have her as a partner in fanfic. She's also writing a kick-ass story, [Animal Magnetism](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22655134/chapters/54147916), that I highly recommend you should check out.
> 
> 2) I am truly blown away that this story has over 100 kudos! I never imagined that would happen when I started writing this, but I greatly appreciate everyone who comments, leaves kudos and reads. It means a lot to me!
> 
> 3) This story is wrapping up soon with one more chapter and a steamy epilogue planned. I hope you stick with me after this cliffhanger (it'll be worth it, promise!)


	10. Half Million Dollar Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has a question for Rey.

_Earlier that day…_

“Ben, it’s hard to believe how Rey beat you today. Twelve seconds! That’s a new record for this show.” The producer’s voice sounds too chipper and he is feeling anything but.

“As I said outside, good for her. I’ll take the cold showers,” he grumbles. Ben’s body hurts from crashing into the shrubs as he ran the maze. What reality show uses actual shrubs to line a maze? What reality show would subject people to games like they just played? It’s madness and Ben has almost had it.

He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about his conversation with Rey yesterday. It pained him when she walked out to the backyard in tears because of him. He wanted to talk to her about how they both could walk out of the house as winners, but he failed. Ben has never been the best with people; he’s usually dismissive when it comes to others’ feelings. 

Rey is different.

Ben wants to win the half million dollar prize. The money is his ticket to getting away from his chaotic, unfulfilling life. He wants to be able to walk into his uncle’s office, slap his resignation letter on his desk and board a plane without looking back.

But that was before Rey. 

“What’s on your mind, Ben?” the producer asks. He groans as he leans forward, balancing his arms on his knees and running his hands over his face.

“I think I’m going to quit the game.”

“What? Ben! You want to quit?!” The producer is shocked, and Ben hears a couple of other voices whispering in the background. It’s a stark reminder of just how many people watch him and Rey in this bizarre house. 

“Why do you want to quit, Ben? Is it because you lost today?”

“I don’t care that I lost today’s luxury competition. I just don’t see how I come out of this house without feeling like a complete asshole. Yeah, sure, I could potentially walk away with a shit ton of money and be able to live my life in ways I’ve only dreamed of but—”

“But it’s Rey, isn’t it?” the producer interrupts. “You’re willing to give up a half million dollars for a girl? A girl who is only playing you? That’s very surprising.”

Ben raises his eyebrows as he looks directly into the camera. He wishes he could see the faces of the producers who talk to him through the speaker in the Diary Room.

“I don’t think she’s playing me. I think she actually likes me. I meant what I said to her. I don’t care about the game anymore. Not if it means I’m hurting her.”

“Oh, Ben.” The producer’s voice sounds sinister. “She’s trying to get you to give up so she can take the money and run. Rey may be a beautiful girl and she may be…eager to please you but don’t let her tricks fool you.”

Ben doesn’t like how the producer talks about her. His hands ball into fists as he feels anger coursing through him.

“You’re wrong.” His voice is icy. “I don’t know what narrative you’re trying to push out to your audience, but I’m not going to be part of it anymore.”

“If you walk out, you’ll be forfeiting the prize. And if you think walking out of here means you’ll also get Rey, you’re wrong! She wants the money as much as you do.”

“Yeah, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Ben stands up and heads to the door when the producer’s voice crackles through the speaker.

“Whatever happened to doing whatever it takes to win, Ben? You took advantage of her in bed, just like she took advantage of you yesterday in the shower. We see everything that happens in the house!”

It takes everything he has in him to not run upstairs, throw his things into his bag and walk out the door when he exits the Diary Room. It’s when he hears Rey in the shower that Ben stops to contemplate his next move.

He knows that tomorrow night will mark Day 5 since they moved into the New Order Tiny House. Ben doesn’t want to give production the satisfaction of making it that long. Tomorrow night will also be a live show, where the host will question them about their experience so far. Based on the episodes he’s watched, the live show also serves as an opportunity to exit the game and end the show.

Ben hears the familiar whirl of the cameras swiveling above him as he takes a look around. He’s had enough of the cameras and the people who are watching him and Rey. If he can help it, tonight is going to be their last night in the house.

He just hopes he doesn’t walk out of the house empty handed.

**

Rey makes a mental note that they have a hell of a mess to clean up later. Wine glasses crash to the floor when they collide against the dining table. Ben’s back lands on top of the table with a thud as he pulls her down on top of him. Rey straddles him on the table, her hands raking through his raven hair and her lips crushing against his.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rey muses how this must look to those who are watching from the online stream. She can hear Rose cheering her on. _“Climb him like a tree, Rey!”_ she would say.

Ben tastes like the wine they enjoyed earlier when her tongue slides against his. Rey thinks she’s never tasted anything sweeter. His hands are moving across her back, fingers clutching at the fabric of her dress. She pulls back from his mouth to begin kissing along his jaw and to move over to his ear.

“Rey,” he pants when her lips kiss his earlobe. “This isn’t fair.” 

“What’s not fair?” she asks between kisses.

“I told you I don’t like my ears,” he moans.

“I happen to like them very much.” She giggles as her hands move over his chest. Rey feels him buck his hips gently as she continues her ministrations. 

Ben’s hands move up her back and over her neck as he gently pulls back to recapture her lips with his. The kiss is more tender and slower as she melts into him. Rey has never been kissed the way that Ben kisses her; he’s intoxicating and all consuming.

When he breaks the kiss, Rey doesn’t expect him to sit up. Ben shifts beneath her so that she straddles his lap and he’s looking directly into her face. 

“Ben?”

“Rey, I want you to join me.”

“Join you? Join you how?” she asks. 

“Join me in walking out of here.” Ben’s voice is steady with conviction. He moves his hands up to her face and stares deeply into her eyes. “You and me. We both walk out of here together.”

“B-But what about the game?” she stammers. 

“I told you that I don’t care about the game. I meant it. All I want is you, Rey.” She feels him tremble as his fingers caress her cheeks. Her heart beat quickens in her chest as she searches his deep brown eyes, expecting to see conflict within them.

“W-what about getting on a plane and never looking back? You won’t be able to leave your uncle’s firm---”

“Rey? Could you come to the Diary Room?” The sudden voice of the producer coming through the speaker system startles them as Rey pulls herself from Ben’s lap. He climbs off the table and remains close to her, his hand reaching for hers.

“Rey, _please_ ,” Ben pleads with her. Her eyes dart between the Diary Room door and Ben and she feels like she’s in a game of tug-of-war. “Rey, please believe me when I say that I only want you. I want to get to know you away from all of this. From these cameras and from the people who are watching us.”

Tears begin to well in her eyes as she looks at him and she feels her resolve slipping away. She hears the producer calling her once more to the Diary Room as Ben’s hand slips into hers. The cameras overhead turn and she can feel them pointed directly at her and Ben.

“Rey, let’s not play the game anymore,” Ben implores her. “The money doesn’t matter to me. Not if I don’t have you.”

She stands before Ben, who four days ago was the last person she ever expected to meet. The last person she ever expected she would willingly give up a half million cash prize for. The last person she ever expected to make her not care about what happens next.

_Expect the unexpected, right?_

“I-I don’t care about it either,” she realizes as she says the words out loud. Her eyes lock with his and she squeezes his hand. “Fuck the game, Ben. Let’s get out of here.”

He gives her a smile as he tugs her toward the door of the New Order Tiny House. The producer screams over the speaker for them to stop as they open the door and walk out together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Finally! Finally!
> 
> We still have a...steamy epilogue left.
> 
> Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who really is the reason these chapters come together. She's a wonderful beta and I'm pretty thankful to have her as a partner in fanfic.


	11. Epilogue - The Prize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after they walked out of the house? Spoiler alert: Smut!

The host stands in front of the camera while a makeup artist dabs the foundation sponge over his face one last time. There’s no studio audience for tonight’s taping, which is a little unnerving for him. What has happened in the last 24 hours has never happened in the eight seasons that he has hosted this show.

“Hux, this is your 90 second warning.” Phasma, one of the producers, tells him in his earpiece. 

He brushes the shoulders of his suit jacket and glances down at his notecards in hand. He’s not sure how the television audience is going to take tonight’s second and final episode of this season New Order Tiny House. The live streamers and online fans have been flooding social media and various show message boards about the two contestants who didn’t even make it to Day 5.

“I thought we chose well this time,” Hux says quietly into his mic.

“We were pretty close to getting her to quit a couple of nights ago,” Phasma tells him through the earpiece. “We just needed another session or two with her and she would have quit the game because he was a jerk, not because she liked him. And certainly not because he asked her to quit.”

“We just didn’t expect that he would develop actual feelings for her.” Hux sighs before rolling his neck. The tension he feels is almost unbearable. “He had too much of a heart after all. The moment that he kissed her and then took her bed, that bad boy persona was gone. That was playing well with the audience, too!”

“Yeah, but our online streaming numbers shot up after he kissed her. They definitely went up when she took him in the shower.” Phasma added. “We’re 60 seconds out, Hux.”

“It’s really a pity that we couldn’t really capture any of that, too. Could have put it online as paid premium content.” Hux clears his throat. He sees Kaydel, another producer, standing by the camera, clipboard in hand as she makes the motion that another 15 seconds has counted down.

“I think despite it being our shortest season run, the audience will eat it up that they both quit for love. Everyone likes a happy ending. They got each other and they both got money. We don’t have many of those moments on our show.” Kaydel says into his earpiece.

“Under no circumstances can we reveal that because of a certain contract loophole that an entire team of attorneys missed, they get to split the money!” Hux is practically seething as he watches Kaydel make the motion for 30 seconds until they are live. 

Because of the bright studio lighting, he can’t see the smile on her face. It’s a knowing smile of a secret that she’s not going to be able to reveal to anyone.

Phasma was right that they only needed a couple more Diary Room sessions with Rey to convince her to self-evict because of Ben. What no one else knows is that Kaydel was the producer talking to Rey in the Diary Room about how much Ben didn’t care about the game after the second day. She feels bad that she played a role in why Rey was so confused about Ben while she was in the house.

It all worked out in the end anyway.

“I think it’s wildly romantic. Most of our online streamers seem to think so, too. Go easy on them tonight, Hux. Maybe the days of playing up the villain are over, yeah?” Her voice in his earpiece irritates him as he takes one last look at his note cards.

“Ten seconds out,” Phasma cues him.

When he sees the red light on the camera turns on, Hux flashes a bright smile. Showtime.

“Good evening and welcome to the New Order Tiny House…”

**

The television is on in the background, but neither of them are paying attention. He invited her over to his apartment with the intention that they watch the episode to see how the producers are planning to explain their sudden departure.

When Ben drops the remote to the coffee table, Rey doesn’t hesitate to shift on the couch to straddle him. He looks up at her with a smile as his fingers rest at her hips and her hands move around the nape of his neck.

“I think I’ve had enough reality television for a while,” she tells him cheekily.

“Is that so?” He chuckles when she leans in so their noses rub against each other. She smells of lavender and she’s worn her hair down in waves as one of his hands runs through it. Rey wears jeans and a tight fitting top that he can’t wait to take off. 

It had been a whirlwind twenty-four hours since they walked out of the New Order Tiny House together. As soon as they stepped out, a half dozen producers and attorneys approached them. They all shouted about how they needed to go back inside the house and how they were ruining the integrity of the show by walking off together.

Rey never let go of Ben’s hand as they brushed past. They only separated when Kaydel, one of the producers, walked up to them and asked them to follow her so they could sign paperwork. That’s when they learned that both were entitled to splitting the half million prize. They each would walk away with $250,000 and no longer have to appear on the show. 

It had been possible to walk away with the money and the girl after all. He wanted to punch that producer who suggested otherwise in the face.

Ben leans in to plant a soft kiss on the tip of Rey’s nose before resting his forehead against hers. He can’t believe that this beautiful girl is nestled in his lap and that her fingers are running across his neck.

“So, what do you suggest we do instead?” he asks, his voice low. He hears her laugh before she leans into his ear.

“There’s no cameras around, Ben. We don’t have to worry about putting on a show for anyone,” she whispers.

“No microphones either. That means you can be as loud as you want, Rey,” he murmurs when he feels her lips behind his ear.

“You think you can make me scream?” she teases. The way she speaks into his ear and leaves kisses down his neck raises goosebumps on his skin. 

“Is that a challenge? Because that’s a challenge I know I can win.” He wraps his arms around her slender frame, his hands grabbing her ass as he moves to stand. With a squeal, she locks her ankles behind his back and Ben carries her back into his bedroom.

**

It hasn’t taken long for Ben to pull her shirt over her head as she lays back on the bed. Rey watches his eyes move over her body, his hands working behind her back to unclasp the black lacy bra that she wore just for this occasion.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathes out when he successfully pulls the bra from her and tosses it to the floor. His brown eyes are full of desire and want in the warm glow of his bedroom. Rey feels a swell of emotion in her chest when his fingers dance across her cheeks and down her arms.

The way that Ben looks at her now isn’t meant to be seen by anyone but her, and she’s so glad that they can be together without the cameras or others watching them.

“You’re a bit overdressed, Mr. Solo,” she smiles at him as her hands gently tug at the hem of the black shirt he’s wearing. When she successfully pulls it over his head, her hands gently rake over his chest.

“I regret that I didn’t touch more of you when I had you in the shower.”

Ben raises his eyebrows at her, a smirk on his face. “You definitely got to touch me in the shower, Rey. Now it’s my turn.” He leans down and starts to trail kisses down her neck and over her chest. His hand palms one of her breasts before his mouth dips lower and he rolls his tongue over the pebbling nipple.

Rey gasps loudly when she feels his other hand begin to massage her other breast while his mouth sucks and kisses her sensitive nipple. “ _Oh_. Oh wow, Ben.”

He looks up at her with hooded eyes as his mouth presses kisses between her breasts before switching breasts to continue his ministrations. He hums against her skin as her hands pull at his hair. Her eyes may be closed, but she’s seeing stars as Ben worships her breasts. Rey wiggles beneath him and presses her thighs together as she feels her desire bloom.

She feels his hands fan against the curves of her hips and stomach as his fingers begin to work on the button of her jeans. His mouth continues to send waves of pleasure through her as he gently sucks and kisses her breasts. No man has ever spent this much time on just her tits during foreplay.

Ben unbuttons her jeans and begins to pull at them. She lifts her hips slightly so that he can drag them down her legs and discard them with the rest of their clothes on the floor. A moan escapes her as his hands roam over her thighs and his mouth kisses down her stomach.

“Fuck, Ben,” she swears under her breath. He’s driving her _wild_. She knows what he can do with his hand, but she never imagined this with his mouth.

“Does this feel good, Rey?” he mumbles as he presses kisses along her hips. She feels the jerk of his fingers against the waistband of her underwear.

“Yes,” she rasps. Rey’s hands have left his hair to grip the sheets as Ben pulls her underwear down her legs. Her legs fall open in front of him and she hears him hum in approval.

“God, Rey, you’re beautiful.” That’s what it takes to make her blush. His voice is husky and when she opens her eyes to gaze down at him, Rey sees his pupils are blown in desire. He runs a finger along her slick folds, causing her to buck her hips at his touch.

“You’re incredibly wet for me, aren’t you? You don’t have to hide it under the covers this time.” He pushes her legs wider as he settles between them, and before Rey can sit up on her elbows to see what Ben is doing, his mouth lowers onto her sensitive bud.

“Oh fuck! Ben!” she jerks against his mouth. If she thought she saw stars before when he was sucking and licking her nipples, it doesn’t compare to what his mouth is doing to her clit.

“How does that feel, Rey?” he asks as he pulls back to slip one finger and then two inside her. He doesn’t wait for her answer before his mouth is back to sucking on her clit. She lets out an embarrassingly oud moan.

“Fuck, that’s so good!” Rey squeezes her eyes shut as she falls back against the pillow and her hand grip the sheets tighter. She thinks she feels him smile against her as he begins to pump his fingers inside her and his tongue laps her at her slickness. 

“Ben,” she moans out as she feels the pressure within her building. “Ben, I’m close.”

“Good,” he replies as he lifts his head. His fingers continue to pump and stretch her as the pad of his thumb rolls gentle circles over the bundle of nerves there that cause another loud moan to escape. “Come for me, sweetheart. Or am I still not allowed to call you that?”

Rey can’t focus on his question as his hand works its magic like he did back in the house. She doesn’t hold her mouth back from crying out when her release comes and her body shudders. Ben’s hand remains between her legs as she rides out her orgasm and she tries to catch her breath.

“You can call me whatever you want as long as you keep doing that,” she pants as he moves to hover above her. Looking down, Rey notices that he still has entirely too many clothes on. That’s a problem.

“Ben, take off your pants.” 

He raises an eyebrow at her. “Bossy, aren’t we?”

He lifts his hips and shimmies his jeans and black boxers to the floor. Her eyes focus on his cock as it springs out. Her mind flashes back to when she took him into her mouth in the shower. She already can’t wait to do that later. 

He takes his cock into his hand as he lowers himself over her, their faces close as Rey takes a moment to look into his eyes. She sees more than just desire within those brown orbs. She doesn’t regret anything that she has done in the last week even though millions of people watched their every move. All of those choices led to her being here with the man she least expected to have in her life.

Rey’s fingers trace the outline of his jaw as she runs a hand over his back. “Ben, I want you,” she tells him in a whisper.

“You have me,” he promises before pressing a kiss to her lips. He mimics her by placing his free hand against her cheek. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she nods. “Oh, uh, I’m on the pill and I’m clean.” They’ve forgotten to talk about this. 

“Me too,” he confirms as he takes in a deep breath. Ben guides his cock over her slick folds before gently pushing his length into her. Rey’s arms fly around his back, her hands gripping at his shoulders.

“Oh my God!” She knew he was big when she had him in her mouth but how he fills her is beyond what she has ever experienced before. He’s gentle in his movements and it’s so overwhelmingly tender that she almost wants to cry.

“You’re really fucking tight,” he moans in her ear. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Uh huh.” Her breath hitches when she feels him completely inside her and for a moment, they lie still. His hands smooth the hair from her face as he begins to kiss her, and she wraps her legs around his hips to encourage him to move.

Ben’s a faster learner as to what Rey wants as his hips move against hers. They kiss each other hungrily as his pace increases. More waves of pleasure flood over her as Rey arches her back to meet his thrusts and sounds of their lovemaking fill the room. His breath is hot and heavy in her ear and his hands are tangled in her hair.

“You feel so good, Rey,” he tells her between kisses. Her hands grip his shoulders so tight that she’s sure that she’s left bruises. He doesn’t seem to mind. He babbles in her ear about how he’s glad he came on a stupid reality show if it meant that he had her.

She tells him she’s glad for that, too, and she needs more of him. He calls her bossy again before she crushes her lips against his and gently pulls at his bottom lip with a loud moan. Their moans become increasingly louder as Rey’s hands fall from his back and land by her head. Ben shifts to grab her hands into his, and the change in position is enough to bring her to the edge.

“Ben, I’m going to come,” she cries out.

“Come for me, sweetheart. I’ve got you,” he tells her in her ear and with a few more thrusts, Rey crashes against him. Her hands squeeze his tightly as she throws her head back against the pillow. It’s not long before she feels Ben come behind her, his eyes squeezing shut and her name coming out between gulps of air.

He collapses on her chest and shifts some of his body weight over to lay on his side so he doesn’t crush her. As Rey comes down from one of the best highs of her life, Ben moves up to take her into his arms. He presses gentle kisses to her temple and wraps the bed sheet around them.

“I think that was worth more than $250,000,” Rey says with a laugh. Ben pulls her tighter against him so that she faces him. She leans over to kiss him lazily.

“Definitely worth losing the half million prize. And definitely not something I wanted to share with a bunch of random strangers online."

“Speaking of, now that you have $250,000, what do you plan to do?” Rey asks.

“I was thinking about buying a couple of plane tickets…you choose the destination and we’ll go off the grid for a while.” Ben takes a moment to look at her. “I mean, if you want to, of course.”

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” she smiles at him before drawing him in for a long, passionate kiss. She feels Ben smile against her lips when she pulls away and rests her head on his chest.

In the stillness of the bedroom, the sound of the television in the living room is faint. Rey smirks when she hears the theme music to New Order Tiny House play and holds onto her prize a little tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Walking away with $250,000 AND each other? It's what they deserved!
> 
> \---
> 
> I'm new to the Reylo community, and I have been blown away by the kindness and love that this community has for each other. It's really special.
> 
> I want to thank you for reading, for commenting and leaving kudos for this story. This is baby's first time writing anything AU and first time writing smut. I hope reading this story has been a joy for you, like it's been a joy for me to write.
> 
> Special love and thank you to [Sophia_Ravencrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophia_Ravencrest/pseuds/Sophia_Ravencrest) who not only came up with this wonderful idea but also was the beta for it. She's the reason that the chapters came together and I am thankful for her time, her encouragement and her friendship. I hope I've done this idea proud! <3


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